If your kids are fond of delicious, juicy oranges and orange jam, you may want to further their love for this delicious fruit, by sharing some facts about the citrus fruit. Here, we list some orange facts and information for kids, and some tasty orange recipes. And do not forget to take the quiz at the end.

Is It Safe To Give Oranges To Kids?

Yes, your children can eat oranges regularly. Eating oranges for kids is not only safe, but is also highly nutritional and beneficial for their health. While choosing quality oranges, make sure you choose firm, dense, and evenly-colored oranges for kids. Also, you can store fresh oranges in a fruit bowl for about two weeks. Refrigerate the oranges if you want to save them for longer.

12 Health Benefits Of Oranges For Kids:

1. Boosts Immunity:

Oranges contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals which are highly beneficial for the growth, tissue and overall development, and health of kids. Just one fresh orange slice offers you child greater than 90% daily intake requirement of vitamin C, while the polyphenols help boost his immunity to keep infections and ailments at bay (1).

2. A Remedy For Anemia:

The Vitamin C content in the citrus fruit helps absorb iron, which increases hemoglobin count, and prevents the symptoms of anemia, such as fatigue and dizziness, in kids. Just serve your child a glass of fresh orange juice regularly to help him have a healthy hemoglobin count (2).

3. Cures Dyspepsia:

Dyspepsia is one of the common health concerns that most kids suffer since they have a weak and vulnerable digestive system. Drinking orange juice or eating fresh slices of oranges promotes smooth digestion and promotes an easy absorption of nutrients.

4. Treats Constipation:

Most foods that kids eat possess inadequate dietary fiber. As a result, your children suffer from constipation troubles. The consumption of oranges is one of the most effective solutions for preventing or treating constipation hazards as it comprises high amounts of dietary fiber i.e. 2.4 grams of fiber per 100 grams. You can serve your kid fruit salads containing slices of oranges to eliminate constipation problems (3).

5. A Remedy For Rickets:

Children are susceptible to rickets as their bones are weak and soft. Oranges are an excellent source of minerals, such as calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, and copper, all of which help prevent the risk of development of rickets in kids. Also, drinking orange juice every day is a great cure for symptoms of rickets and other disorders in children.

6. Reduces Cold And Cough Troubles:

Children often suffer irritation and weakness due to cold and cough. Oranges serve as one of the best remedies for minimizing these troubles. Also, medicinal properties of oranges protect your child from harmful secondary infections that come along with a cough and cold.

All you need to do is fill a cup with freshly extracted orange juice, add one teaspoon of honey and a pinch of salt to it, and serve it your kid when he suffers from a cough or a cold.

7. Alleviates Mumps:

Mumps is a contagious viral disease, which quickly spreads among the children, particularly among the 5 to 15-year-olds. Providing your children fresh orange juice can help them get rid of the discomfort resulting due to mumps quickly. Make sure you dilute orange juice up to 50% and serve it to your affected kid with warm water.

8. Speeds Up Recovery From Typhoid Infection:

Typhoid occurs due to the growth of Salmonella typhi bacteria, which is a highly contagious microbe. Your kids suffer from a headache, chronic abdominal pain, and cough when they are down with thyroid. The infection also hampers the digestive power of children, and they can only have easily digestible liquids and foods. And, drinking fresh orange juice serves as one of the best remedies to speed up children’s recovery as it offers them all the lost nutrients.

9. Improves Vision:

Oranges are a rich source of vitamin A, flavonoids, phytonutrients, such as alpha and beta carotenes, lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, and nutrients that help maintain healthy skin and mucous membrane of your kid’s eye. The consumption of citric acid also enhances your child’s vision and eye health significantly (4).

10. Offers Relief From Whooping Cough:

Whooping cough is a highly contagious and weakening health problem that can affect your kid’s health adversely. Orange juice is an excellent remedy for treating pain due to a cough. Provide your child fresh, diluted orange juice as well as place wet packs on his chest and throat to help him have quick relief from the symptoms of a whooping cough.

11. Curbs Gum Bleeding And Tooth Loss:

Vitamin C plays a vital role in the production of collagen in your kid’s body. Collagen is a crucial element of bones, tendons, blood vessels, and ligaments. A deficiency of vitamin C can make your child suffer from symptoms of scurvy, such as gum bleeding, tooth loss, acute pain in the joints, and easy bruising. Give your kids fresh orange slices, as they serve as a natural and effective solution for eliminating the symptoms and hazards of scurvy (5).

12. Eliminates Diarrhea:

Severe diarrhea can prove hazardous for your kid’s health. Giving kids fresh orange juice regularly can help alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea substantially. Dilute freshly extracted orange juice with water up to 50% and provide it to your kid to help him obtain great relief from the digestive disorders.

Nutritional Values Of Vital Nutrients In Oranges:

Here, we list the nutritional value of all crucial nutrients in oranges per 100 grams.

Nutrients

Nutrient Value

Percentage RDA

Energy

47 Kcal

2.50%

Dietary Fiber

2.4 grams

6.00%

Riboflavin

0.040 mg

3.00%

Thiamin

0.100 mg

8.00%

Vitamin A

225 IU

7.50%

Vitamin C

53.2 mg

90.00%

Vitamin E

0.18 mg

1.00%

Potassium

169 mg

3.50%

Calcium

40 mg

4.00%

Iron

0.10 mg

1.00%

Magnesium

10 mg

2.50%

Zinc

0.08 mg

1.00%

Copper

39 µg

4.00%

Beta-carotene

71 µg

–

Alpha-carotene

11 µg

–

Beta-cryptoxanthin

116 µg

–

How To Choose And Serve Quality Oranges For Kids In A Healthy Way?

To help your child enjoy eating a fresh orange without any hassles, you need to follow certain tips that will ensure your child enjoy quality fruit safely.

Choose Sweet Oranges Only: Make sure you provide your kids only sweet oranges as they are good to taste than sour oranges.

Get A Firm Orange: Ensure that the orange is ripe. Examine all the sides of the fruit from all directions. If you come across any soft spots, then avoid that orange.

Remove Peels, Fiber, And Seeds: Choose an orange that is easy to peel. Remove the fibers which surround the orange’s flesh. Also, remove all tiny seeds within the orange so that your kid has trouble-free experience while eating oranges.

Mash The Orange: If your child finds it difficult to eat an orange, then you can mash the flesh and make it easy for your child to eat the fruit.

Do not give kids orange juice on an empty stomach as the citric acid content in the drink can make them suffer from acidity.

Use straw to drink the orange juice, as the acids in the juice can harm your kid’s tooth enamel and erode it.

10 Fun Facts And Information On Oranges For Kids:

1. What Is An Orange?

Orange is a widely popular citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia, and it belongs to the family of Rutaceae. The word ‘Orange’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘naranga’, which means fragrant. It is a hybrid of pomelo and mandarin, and its cultivation dates back somewhere around in 2500 BC. Today, you can find greater than 600 varieties of orange trees worldwide. In addition to this, oranges not only are nutritious for kids but also have applications in perfumes and cosmetics industry.

2. What Do Oranges Signify?

Orange blossoms and oranges stand as the symbol of love. Oranges are also known as the fruits of the Gods, and many people call them ‘Golden apples’ that Hercules stole.

3. Different Varieties Of Oranges:

People classify oranges into three broad categories, namely sweet, sour, and loose-skinned. Find them below.

Citrus Sinensis (Sweet): Usually, you use this type of oranges for preparing juices, tarts, salads, and other delicious food preparations. Navel oranges, Blood oranges, and Valencia orange are common among the sweet variety of the fruit.

Citrus Aurantium (Sour): Being bitter to taste, people seldom eat sour oranges. Large cultivations of the bitter citrus fruit are present in South Africa for the production of marmalade. People use the juice of sour oranges as a flavoring agent to prepare wine and cook fish in Egypt.

Citrus Reticulata (Loose-Skinned): Oranges belonging to Mandarin family are loose-skinned fruits. They are small in size and easy to peel. Clementine and tangerines are popular oranges of this category.

4. Which Country Is The Largest Producer Of Oranges?

Brazil is famous as the largest producer of nutritious oranges, and Florida is the second-largest producer of oranges. About 50% of world’s orange concentration comes from Brazil.

You can find greater than 35,000,000 orange trees in Spain.

Also, you can find cultivations of Blood orange in Italy, Jaffa in Israel, and Clementine orange in Morocco.

5. Oranges are famous for being the largest citrus crop in the world.

6. How Did Oranges Come To USA?

Christopher Columbus was the first person to bring orange seedlings and seeds to the USA in 1493.

7. How Popular Is White Orange Blossom?

White Orange Blossom has the fame for being the state flower of Florida.

It has a great fragrance, so people use it in the wedding for bridal bouquets, cake decorations, and head wreaths.

The essence of the White Orange Blossom is a vital element for the production of perfumes, and its petals are essential to prepare orange water.

8. How Orange Peels Are Useful:

Chemicals in the orange’s peel repel pests like slugs substantially. So, lots of people use the peels of oranges as natural pesticides in their gardens to protect their plants from pests.

9. You can use the sticks made by using orange wood for manicure and pedicure treatments.

10. What Is Average Lifespan Of An Orange Tree?

An orange tree can live up to 50 years, provided it receives suitable climatic and environmental conditions.

3 Orange Recipes For Kids:

Oranges possess potential to replace all kinds of sweet and processed foods that your children usually crave for eating now and then. The sweet-tart taste and high nutritional content make the oranges a delicious, healthy option to enhance various food preparations and replace processed foods. Here, we list three delicious oranges recipes for kids.

1. Orange Peach Smoothie For Kids:

Smoothies are the healthier choice over processed beverages and soft drinks for kids.

You Will Need:

½ cup of freshly extracted orange juice

Water

One peeled, chopped peaches of peach

½ cup of yogurt

How To:

Mix a half cup of orange juice, small pieces of peach, half cup of yogurt and blend them in a blender.

Add some water to the mixture and mix again in the blender until it turns smooth.

Refrigerate and serve chilled orange smoothie to kids.

2. Orange Ice Cream Pops For Kids:

You Will Need:

Two full cups of vanilla ice cream

A cup filled with cold milk

Six to eight ounces of freshly extracted orange juice

Plastic cups

How To:

Mix vanilla ice cream, milk, and fresh orange juice in a blender and blend it till it turns smooth.

Pour a half cup of smooth mixture in each plastic cup and deep fridge them till they turn solid.

3. Orange And Grapes Fruit Salad For Kids:

You Will Need:

Fresh, chopped slices of an orange

Handful of grapes

Orange juice

Chopped nuts, such as almond, pistachio, cashew nuts, and other nuts

Vanilla ice cream

How To:

Mix grapes, freshly chopped oranges, and vanilla ice cream in a bowl and mix all the ingredients well.

Garnish the fruit salad with pieces of almonds, cashews, and pistachio for better taste. (6)

Did you share these interesting, fun facts, benefits, and recipes of oranges with your kids? Which facts did your children like the most? Tell us. Leave a comment below.

1. Which one of the following is not a use of orange? Improves vision Treats thyroid Treats constipation Speeds up typhoid recovery 2. Which one of the following components does not improve vision? Improves vision lutein dietary fiber alpha carotenes flavonoids 3. Choose the incorrect option. Vitamin E 3.5% Potassium 3.5% Riboflavin 3.0% Energy 2.5%

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